The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-09-21
SOME rHINos About CHARLESTON.
A Few Reasons Suggested Tor The Reduction I'm
the Guys Trade and for the sloth OF Her Pro-

Few Reasons Suggested Tor the Reduction In
the Ctty's Trade aud for the sloih OF Her Pro-
grFSs.
From the Berkeley Gazette.)
The merchants, factors aud business men
generally Of Charleston have an exceeding
~ funny idea of business enterprise. They
seem TO think that because Charleston is
the metropolis Of the State all trade of the
State must centre there, no matter what
terms She makes, or whether or not any
effort is made to secure that trade. No
people talk more about what to do to secure
prosperity, and none DO less than the
CharlcstOnians
Charleston must depend on the cotton
aHd iirc and naval stores she handles for
prosperity; these are The staples of this and
adiOluiug States, TO handle these goods it is
necessary to reach out into the producing
districts, and offer the farmer and planters
such inducements as will prove to them
that the Charleston market is second to
none. Does Charleston do this?
About cotton, the first staple of the three:
In days that have gone 10y Charleston was
orc OF the cotton centres of the world,
haudling more Of the ilcccy stuff than both
Savannah aud Wilmington; this season
there is hardly any doubt that Savannah
and Wilmington together will handle four
bales To ChlrlcStOn's one. And the cause
of this lies AZ CharlcstOn'S own door. For
the past several years She has seen the trade
slipping through her fingers, but not once
| has she taken Il polite step TO arrest the
HIGHT Of the goose that lays the golden egg.
! During the time that Charleston has been
losing cotton her sister cities have been
! gaining it. Would you know why? Here
i, Il condensed tale Of three cities: During
the past ten years, more than ever, It has
dawucd ON the South that competition is
| the life Of trade Wilmington and Savan
nah have gone into it heartily, but some.
10Y the thing seems too rich for Charles.
tons blood. The former cities have strivcn
t. Keep the expense charges per bale at the
lowest possible rate; the latter city has held
expenses ut what the shipper would bear.
Savannah makes terms with the steamships:
Charleston gruwls about unjust discrimina.
lions. Wilmington and Savannah control
the main lines of railroad leading into
Charleston, and while they were securing
| ,hv,c roads, over which the cotton must be
hauled, Charleston built u biz bridge across
to the cabbage patches OF st. Andrew s
parish. and is now agitatcd over the build
in" Of n railtoad nearly "a mile long to run
along the Cooper River water front, and
which must dcpcnd'On railroads owned by
North Carolina and Georgia for every
pound Of incoming freight hauled. The
competing cities have secured to themselves
,hc Finland fnCi!i les while Charleston has
been sweating about terminal facilities"
Wilmington and Savannah cotton buyers
are scattered all over what should he
ChUIlcslon's territory. doing Il good bust
rrN,. wuiic the Charleston buvce sits i'm his
Office on the Bay or one of The wharvcs,
as The case may be, smoking a fragrant
Havana cotton sample and waiting for
the trade.
Another thing that is killing ont Charles
TONS cotton trade is the practice of keeping
"huying scales The Nance suggests what
they are. 1t has been denied that such
scales are used, put the following will prove
that ,ilAcr tie Northeastern Railroad Com
NGIIy considered TO he Il square concern
or Il certain factor in the city are playing a
li''l1 game of cuChrc in which the planter
holds nu hIai: one day last week II planter
living considerably less that 30 miles up the
milrutu took a bale Of cotton To the nearest
depot. saw it weighed on what is known as
"a standard scale. lunk a receipt stating the
number 81; pounds. and had it Shipped 10
I.uila''nn the >unc day. ON the follow.
iH- ,ol ho received! an account sales show
ing Tic N"!c sixteen pounds short.
d b, not pleasant for a newspaper pub
ii,ll"i wi'lin three miles Of the city Of
Charleston 20 make these statements, but
They az !.CtS patent to thousands, and the
sooner they UIc corrected the better it will
be.